New York restaurants are taking green practices to a new level. Earlier this week it was reported that Brasserie Les Halles, the former stomping grounds of celebrity Chef-at-large Anthony Bourdain, installed two incredibly advanced devices in the depths of their Flat Iron kitchen to reduce the Brasserie's carbon footprint.

The first machine turns the restaurant's food waste into nutrient enriched top soil through high-tech composting technology. The second machine pulverizes glass, reducing waste caused by alcohol and cooking bottles, that most restaurants do not currently recycle.

Both machines are produced by Global Enviro International, a Norweigan company that specifically deals with the elimination and reduction of food waste. All of their machines reduce waste by 90%, a staggering number. The machines work through a process of grinding, dehydration and an 18-hour bioreaction that is odor-free. Currently, their products have limited presence state-side, but are widely used in Europe and the UK, and will likely grow.

In the United States, 25% of all food prepared, about 34 million tons, ends up as waste annually in the United States. Food waste is 12% of all waste produced and placed in landfills or incinerators, leaving a lot of room for improvement. Companies like Global Enviro International and restaurants like Les Halles are leading the way in the fight towards a more "Green" approach to dining out.